FOOTBALL

What a weekend it was in the football world.

The highlight from college came out of Seattle, where the new-look Washington Huskies were looking to take down the giant that is USC.  USC came into the game ranked #3 in the nation, and were hoping to move up.  On the flip side, Washington wanted to show they are the Huskies of old.  The game was anything but an offensive showdown, but Washington QB Jake Locker played brilliantly, keeping the UW offense on the field and not making any mistakes.  He finished the day with 237 passing yards and a rushing TD.  And then, with 3 seconds left, Washington kicked a game winning field goal to upset the Trojans.  Wow!  Washington 16, USC 13.

On to the NFL, where Drew Brees and the explosive New Orleans offense would be put to the test against a very stingy Eagles defense.  Last week, Brees threw for 6 touchdowns against the Lions, but it’s the Lions, right?  That doesn’t mean anything, right?  Surely, the Eagles would rain on their parade, right?  But ladies and gentleman… it’s the offense.  The Saints have so many weapons and options, they can do almost anything.  Brees hurled three more touchdowns, and finished the day with 311 yards.  Even their surprise running back, Mike Bell, looked terrific, rushing for 86 yards a TD.  The Saints are going to be very difficult to beat this season.  Look out!  New Orleans 48, Philadelphia 22.

Elsewhere in the NFL, it was a battle of two major franchises as the Steelers came into Chicago.  The Steelers were hoping for a 2-0 start to a Super Bowl defending season, and Chicago desperately wanted to rebound from their disgusting loss to the Packers in Week 1.  Well, the Steelers controlled most of the game, with Roethlisberger throwing for 221 yards and a TD, but Jay Cutler and Chicago would make a comeback.  They tied the game with 6 minutes to go in the 4th, and then with just 15 seconds left, Chicago’s Robbie Gould kicked a 44-yard kick to win the game.  Beating the defending Super Bowl champs is one way to ease the pain of an ugly debut loss.  Chicago 17, Pittsburgh 14.

Finally, the featured matchup of the day was definitely the New York Jets v. the New England Patriots.  The Jets had been smack talking all week about how they were going to smother the Patriots.  Of course, the Pats have heard this all before, and just dismissed the garbage talk.  Well, in their home debut of the season, the Jets came out FIERCE.  They barely let the Pats offense do anything.  Brady threw for a mere 216 yards, and didn’t toss one touchdown.  The game remained close, but the Pats just couldn’t get it done.  An amazing upset by the Jets, who hadn’t beaten the Patriots in New York since 2000.  Maybe the tides are changing in the AFC East.  NY Jets 16, New England 9.